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H. C. ROOME.

ELECTRIC BURGLAR ALARM.

Patented Sept. 20, 1881.

'and will give alarm at the first attempt.

UNITED STATES PATENT Omen HENRY C. ROOME, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

ELECTRIC BURGLAR-ALARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 247,410, dated September 20, 1881.

Application filed October 23, 1879.

To all lwhom. it may concern:

Be it known th at I, HENRY C. RooME, of Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Burglar-Alarms, of which the following is a specification.

Myimprovements are especially applicable to electro-magnetic burglar-alarms which arc employed for the protection of stores, banks, and other buildings, and vaults and safes therein, termed herein structures to be guarded, and which establish communication between the same to an oltice or station where a watch is kept.

Heretofore the protection afforded by the most efficient burglar-alarms of this kind has been due to the use of resistance-coils or similar devices` included in the electric circuit in the structure to be guarded, and has been wholly dependent upon the ignorance of persons not connected with the burglar-alarm as Vto the exact amount of resistance in the circuit, and their consequent inability, except through chance, to tamper with the structure to be guarded without so disturbing the condition of the electric circuit as to indicate their efforts at the station or ofce.

The object of my improvements is to communicate to the station or otce all sounds made in any attempts to obtain access to the structure to be guarded, in order that the presence of burglars may be more reliably and more.v

quickly detected.

To this end my improvements consist in the combination,with a safe, vault, store, building, or other structure to be guarded, one or more, and an electric circuit establishing communication between the same and a station or oftice, of a telephonie receiverin said station or oiiice, and a telephonie transmitter connected with the electric circuit in such structure or structures to be guarded, either or both, whereby all sounds occasioned by attempts to obtain access to the structure or structures to be guarded will be transmitted to the station or office, Preferably a microphone will .be employed in the structure or structures to be guarded as a telephonie transmitting-instrument, in order that sounds therein will be magnied, so as to insure attention-at the station or oftice. Where the structure to be guarded is provided with an electric covering, the telephonie transmitter may be connected with the covering instead ot' with the structure itself'. A system of switches is preferably employed in connection with the electric circuit or circuits communieating with the station or office to facilitate ascertaining from which of the structures to be guarded the sounds proceed. I deem it wise to usethe telephonie transmitters or transmitters and receiver in connection with the. visual signalsordinarilyemployedinelectro-magnetic burglar-alarms. M yimprovements furthermore consist in certain combinations ot' parts, and in features hereinafter set forth and claimed.

The accompanying drawing represents a perspective view of two structures to be guarded, consisting of a safe or vault and a covering or case therefor, microphones connected therewith, a diagram ot Wires forming electric circuits, batteries, and ground wire or conductor, a face view of a galvanometer, and side view of an electric bell or sounder comprised in an electro-magnetic burglar-alarm, and a side View of a telephonic receiver, all embodying my improvements.

A A' designate two structures to be guarded, consisting, as here shown, of an ordinary safe, A', arranged within and protected by an electric covering, A, while for thepurpose of illustrating a series of independent structures to be guarded with a series of circuits and the working thereof both the safe and the covering are severally provided with telephonie transmitters and independent electric circuits communicating with the receiving-ottice, and the safe and the covering may be regarded here as independent structures. i

The telephonie transmitters B and B'Vliere shown consist of microphones composed of two buttons or plates of carbon and a bar or piece of the same material loosely supported between them. From these telephonie transmitters B and B' in one direction there extend, respectively, wires OU', connecting with awire, C2, which is common to both, and runs to the ground G. In the other direction there extend from these telephonie transmitters B B', respectively, wires D D', leading to resistance coils or devices E E'. From the resistance coil or device E' of the safe or structure A'a Wire, F', is shown as extending to a visual IOO signal, (here shown as a galvanonieter, H',) whence it passes to the battery I' of its electric circuit, and thence to a switch, J', but

from the resistance coil or device E of the covering or structure A a wire, F, extends around the said covering or structure. .As here shown, first it extends down along the adjacent side ot' the covering or structure; thence across the bottom and up the opposite side to a pair of contact-pieces, c and b, one, c, attached to the covering or structure, and the other, b, to the door, and both continuing the electric circuit. From the contactpiece b the wire F extends downwardly close to the inner edge of the door, nearly to the bottom ot' the door; thence laterally nearly to the outer edge of the door; thence upward nearly to the upper edge of the door; thence laterally a short distance towardv the inner edge of the door; thence downward v nearly to the bottom edge of the door; thence laterally toward the inner' edge of the door; thence upward nearly to the upper edge of the door; thence laterally nearly to the inner edge of the door, and thence downward to the upper hinge, c, of the door. From the hinge c the wire F extends up the adjacent side of the covering or structure, partly across the top, an d thence out ot' the same, thus representing a wire-lined envelope or covering for the safe A'. Leaving the structure A, the wire passes to a visual signal, (here shown as a galvanometer, H,) whence it extends to the battery I of.

its electric circuit, and thence to the switch J. The switches J and J' aft'ord a` means of connecting and disconnecting the wires F and F' to and from a wire leading to a switch, J5, which may be connected and disconnected to and from a wire, K, leading to the ground G. Running the wires O2 and K to the ground, they may he connected to form a return metallic conductor. The wires F F' are intended to lead to a station, ot'iice, or other place where awatch is kept,and the switches J J' and galvanometers H H' and a bell or other sounder will be located there.

F2 F3 designate wires similar to the wires F F', and which, like the wires F F', are to be extended to galvanometers and employed to establish communication between structures to be guarded (not represented in the drawing) and they station or office. They respectively communicate with .batteries I2 I3, and are combined with switches J2- J, whereby they may be severally connected to or disconnected from a wire leading to a switch, J4, which, in turn, may be connected to or disconnected from the ground-wireK. The common groundwire will there have connected with it a telephonie receiver, L, of any approved construction.

It is the intention to have a large number of structures-to be guarded provided with telephonie transmitters and connected by electric circuits and through the agency of switches with such station, oice, or place, and then switches mayr be so combined with these electric circuits and the ground or return wire K that, for instance, one -half of the number of electric circuits may by one switch-in this example of my invention the circuits or wires F2 F3 bythe manipulation of the switch J-he disconnected to ascertain from which half a noise attracting attention proceeds, and then one-half ofthe number lel't connected. In this example of my invention the circuit or wire F' may be cut off by another switch, J'. Thus provision is a'orded for expeditiously ascertaining from which circuit a noise heard in the receiver proceeds.

In connection with the galvanometers H H' is employed a local circuit, M, communicating with an electro magnetic bell or sounder, R, and a battery, S. It comprises branch wires N N', connecting with the needles n a', and branch wires O O' P P', connecting with stops o o'pp', between which the needles may vibrate. A

When no electro-magnetic burglar-alarm is to be employed, the galvanometers H H.' and their accompanying local-alarm circuit M, bell or sounder It, and batteryS may be dispensed with; but when an electro magnetic burglaralarm is to be employed, I prefer to use them as one of the best well-known systems of pro tccting an electric circuit against being tampered with by burglars. As this system is so weil-known, a brief description only is neces sary. The galvanometer-needles u a' are held by the batteries and resistance coils about midway between the stops o o' andpp. The deflection of the needles either way by any alteration in the resistance of the electric circuits, so as to cause them to touch either of the stops o o' or p lo', closes the local circuit O O' I) P'M through the battery S and hell R, and thus sounds an alarm. Any breaking or cutting of the electric circuits communicating with the structures to be guarded permits the needles n n' to gravitate to the stops p p' and close the local circuit O O' I? P' M.

It is very advantageous to use a telephonie transmitter and receiver in connection with an electro-magneticburglaralarm, for the electromagnetic burglar alarm will indicate at the station or oftice the changing of the resistances in or cutting of the electric circuits, and the telephonie transmitter will transmit all Sounds occasioned by any attempts to do the above things or otherwise tamper with thets'tructure t0 be guarded, and these attempts will be communicated to the station or oftice, and will serve to apprise the watchman of what is going on.

For convenience of illustration a single or dnary Bell receiver is shown butin practice,

where a large number of places are to be protected, I shall use a number of the loud-speaking Edison receivers, arranged in acircle, with the person listeningin the center.

I desire it to be distinctly understood that by the term telephonie transmitter 7 or trans mitting -instrurnent,77 as herein employed, I

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mean to include the microphone. I do not mean to imply that all telephonie transmitters will snbserve the desired purpose. To be of practical use the telephonie transmitters should be sufficiently sensitive to transmit very slight noises made in their vicinity, and should be so adjusted as to be affected by such noises. They should also be continuously connected with their circuits.

At the risk of repetition I will remark that the use of a telephonie receiver will serve to indicate disturbances in the electric circuit which even the galvanometer or visual signal would fail to make apparent. With a telephonie transmitter it will indicate noises caused by burglars in or at the structure to be guarded, or its electric lining or covering, before any disturbance in the circuit which would be indicated by an ordinary burglar-alarm is caused by them, and hence, before the ordinary burglar-alarm would show their presence, it will indicate what, if anything, is going wrong at the structure to be guarded, even it' it should be a fire or running water occurring from leakage or overflow, and it will often indicate whetheradisturbancein the circuit arises within or outside the structure to .be guarded.

A telephonie transmitter used in connection with the visual signal of an ordinary burglaralarm is useful, because sounds in its vicinity will be indicated by the visual signal to the watchman at the station or office.

What I claim as 1n y invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a burglar-alarm, the combination, with a structure to be guarded and an electric circuit establishing communication between the saine and a station or office furnished with a suitable receiving-instrument, of a telephonic transmitter so adjusted and so connected with the electric circuit at the structure to be guarded as to transmit noises occurring at the said structure to the station or office.

2. In a burglar-alarni,the combination, with a structure to be guarded and an electric circuit establishing communication between the saine and a station or office, of a visual signal connected with the electric circuit at the station or office and a telephonie transmitter connected with the electric circuit at the structure to be guarded, and serving to affect the said visual signal.

3. In a burglar-alarm, the combination, with a structure to be guarded and an electric circuit establishing communication between the same and a station or office, of a visual signal and a telephonic receiver connected with said electric circuit at the station or office and a telephonietransmitterconnected with said electric circuit at the structure to be guarded, and serving to affect the visual signal and the telephonic receiver.

4. In a burglar-alarm,the combination, with a structure to be guarded, having an electric covering or lining, and an electric circuit establishing communication with the same and a station or office furnished with a suitable receiving-instrument, of a telephonic transmitter so adjusted and so connected with the circuit at the structure to be guarded as to transmit noises occasioned by-tamperin g with the electric covering or lining to the station or office.

5. In a burglar-alarm,the combination, with a series of structures to be guarded, electric circuits communicating therewith and with a common ground or ret-urn wire or conductor at a station or office, of telephonie transmitters connected with the electric circuits, a telephonic receiver in communication with this common ground or return wire or conductor, and the hereinabove-described system of switches or devices, whereby any of the electric circuits may have their connection with the common ground or return wire or conductor severed, to facilitate ascertaining from which of the structures to be guarded sounds heard in' the receiver proceed.

6. In a burglar-alarm, the combination, with a series of structures to be guarded, electric circuits communicating therewith and with a common ground or return wire or conductor at a station or office, of a telephonic receiver or communication with this common ground or return wire or conductor, and the hereinabovedescribed system of switches, whereby any of the electric circuits may have their connection with the common ground or return wire or conductor severed, to facilitate ascertaining from which of the structures to be guarded sounds heard in the receiver `proceed.

7. In a burglar-alarm, a number of electric circuits establishing communication between a number of structures to be guarded and a station or office, telephonie transmitters connected with said electric circuits at the said structures, visual signals connected with said circuits at the station or office, a ground or return wire or conductor connected with said electric circuits at the station or office and common to them all, a telephonie receiver connected to said ground wire or conductor, and the hereinabove-described system of switches, the whole being so combined and organized that the telephonie transmitter is adapted to affect the visual signals and receiver, and that the said switches may be manipulated to connect and disconnect the said electric circuit and visual signals to and from said ground or return wire or conductor and receiver at will.

HENRY C. ROOME.

Witnesses:

CHANDLER HALL, T. J. KEANE.

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